Packaging for butter or similar products

ABSTRACT

In a packaging for butter or a similar product, including a flat bottom part with a low circumferential bottom side wall provided with a lower rim and cover part with a circumferential downwardly extending side wall which is substantially higher than the bottom side wall and includes at its lower end an upper rim for disposition on the bottom rim, the rims are provided with cooperating element for form-locking engagement when the cover part is placed onto the bottom part and a seal ring extends around the rims for sealingly joining the bottom part and the cover part.

This is a Continuation-In-Part Application of pending InternationalPatent Application PCT/EP2005/00912.8 filed Sep. 1, 2005 and claimingthe priority of German Patent Application 10 2004 042 645.7 filed Sep.3, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention resides in a packaging for butter or a similar product,comprising a flat plate with a bottom and an upwardly projectingsidewall with a circumferential outwardly projecting bottom rim and acover with a top wall and a downwardly extending side wall, which issubstantially higher than the upwardly projecting side wall and includesan outwardly projecting top rim joining the bottom rim.

Currently packaging used for butter comprises, on one hand, paper oraluminum foil wrapped around brick-shaped butter pieces or plastic cupsof circular, oval or rounded rectangular shape which are closed by foilswelded to the rims thereof or by flat, snap-on lids.

The folded wrapping of brick-like butter pieces has the disadvantagethat it is easily subject to mechanical damage particularly ripping orpiercing which may happen already during storage on a sales shelf butparticularly during multiple opening and closing of the wrapping duringuse. For use such brick-like butter pieces are usually unwrapped andplaced onto a plate or special butter container. During the unpackinghowever, the butter brick is generally held by a hand which results ingreasy fingers.

Another disadvantage of such wrap packaging resides in the fact that itis only folded around the butter brick in a non-airtight manner so that,particularly in the corner sections, unappetizing yellow areas developby exposure to air already during storage on a store shelf. Furthermore,such wrappings are resilient so that during transport or handling, forexample, when being placed onto a shelf by a store clerk or handled by acustomer, for example by the placement thereof into a shopping cart, thecorners may be damaged, that is, compressed. This may easily happen whenthe butter has become soft by insufficient cooling whereby the butterpackage becomes unsightly and often is left on the shelf by thecustomer. Another disadvantage is that the consumer will remove thebutter at home from the packing and discard the wrapping so that themanufacturers name is no longer displayed when the butter is placed on atable.

Plastic cups on the other hand have the disadvantage that the buttercannot be removed therefrom in a convenient and appetizing manner sincethe butter adheres to the sidewalls and cannot be removed as a block.Rather, the butter is removed from the cup by scraping it from the topsurface which soon will assume an unappetizing, scratched appearance. Inaddition, a consumer does not really want to scrape the butter off, butmuch rather wants to cut it off which is not possible, if the butter iscontained in such a cup. Furthermore, if the plastic cup is closed by awelded-on foil without lid, the foil has to be removed and discarded sothat also in this case, the advertising effect of the print on the foilis lost after opening of the cup.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a packagingparticularly for butter or similar products, which does not have thedisadvantages of the conventional packaging pointed out above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a packaging for butter or a similar product, including a flat bottompart with a low circumferential bottom side wall provided with a lowerrim and cover part with a circumferential downwardly extending side wallwhich is substantially higher than the bottom side wall and includes atits lower end an upper rim for disposition on the bottom rim, the rimsare provided with cooperating element for form-locking engagement whenthe cover part is placed onto the bottom part and a seal ring extendsaround the rims for sealingly joining the bottom part and the coverpart.

With the packaging according to the invention, the butter (which mayhave the usual time-tried shape of a brick or any other shape forexample that of a circular or oval block) is disposed for the transport,storage and sale in an essentially form-stable tightly closed container.For the removal of butter from the butter block disposed in thecontainer, that is, for consumption, the packaging can be opened andsubsequently again be closed in a clean and, with an appropriate design,sealing manner. The butter can be removed by cutting off a piece asneeded and the cover can subsequently be replaced. The imprint on thesales packaging or the label with the name of the manufacturer or themake remains visible with high advertising effectiveness. There isfurthermore no need to use a butter plate or butter cup since the buttercan be removed from the packaging according to the invention in the sameway as it can be taken from a butter plate.

An embodiment of the invention will be described below in detail on thebasis of the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The sole FIGURE shows in a cross-sectional view of a butter packagingaccording to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The packaging according to the invention comprises a bottom part 1 and atop part 2, which parts are joined via a sealing rim 3. The bottom part1 and the top part 2 are preferably injection-molded from a plasticmaterial. The complete two-part packaging is in principle like a buttercontainer with a flat bottom part and a high cover part, but is in theform of a sales packaging. The sealing rim 3 comprises a plastic foilwhich is welded together with the bottom part and the top part.

The bottom part 1 has a flat bottom wall section 11, a low side wallsection 12 projecting upwardly from circumferential edge of the flatbottom wall section 11 and including a circumferential horizontal flange13 of a width as needed.

The butter piece B disposed in the packaging is shown by a dash-dottedline. It has a small distance from the side wall 12 of the bottom part 1of, for example, 1 mm.

The top part 2 comprises a top wall section 21 with side walls 22, whichare substantially higher than those of the bottom wall part 1. It alsoincludes a circumferential outwardly projecting flange 23. The sidewalls 22 of the top part 2 are also spaced from the butter piece B, butby a distance which is greater than the distance between the butterpiece B and the side wall 12 of the bottom part 1. It is for example 2to 4 mm.

The two flanges 13 and 23 of the bottom part 1 and the top part 2 areprovided with elements for the form-locking positioning of the coverpart on the bottom part. As shown, this may comprise a circumferentiallyextending raised bead 14 on the flange 13 of the bottom part 1 and adownwardly projecting circumferential rib 24 formed on the flange 23 ofthe top part 2. The rib 24 is shown disposed within the bead 13 and,with the inclined co-operating surface areas of the bead 14 and the rib24 a practically play-free sealing of the cover on the bottom part isachieved. This arrangement provides, after initial opening of thecontainer, for a practically sealed packaging when the cover is againplaced onto the bottom part so that the butter loses essentially nomoisture or flavor, that is, its freshness and a attractive appearanceis maintained over a relatively long period.

During the manufacture of the original packaging first the butter pieceB is placed onto the bottom part 1, then the cover 2 is placed onto thebottom part 1 and finally the bottom part 1 and the top part 2 arejoined by a seal ring 3, which may consist of a foil strip which extendsaround the rims 13, 23 and is provided with an opening aid (not shown).

The bottom part 1 is preferably so shaped that the butter piece extendsonly about 0.5 cm into it so that the butter can easily be cut off thebutter piece B by the consumer. The butter is held in position in thebottom part by the side wall section 12 of the bottom part 1. The sidewall section 22 of the top part 2 is disposed at a greater distance fromthe butter piece 13 so that the butter does not easily come in contactwith, and adheres to, the top part 2. Since, during transport andhandling, it is likely that the packaging is held in any possibleposition—also upside down—and is furthermore subjected to vibrations orshocks, it is likely the butter piece is displaced in the packaging.However, with the side wall section 12 of the bottom part 1 beingdisposed at a smaller distance from the butter piece B than the wallsection 22 of the top part 2, the butter piece will not come intocontact with the wall section 22 so that it will not rub thereon andplaster the inside surface thereof. In order to prevent direct contactbetween the top wall 21 and the butter piece B, it may be advantageousto place a sheet of parchment paper 4 on top of the butter piece B whichpaper can be removed when the packaging is opened for the first time.

1. A sales packaging for butter or a similar product, comprising: a flatbottom part (1) having a bottom wall (11) and low side walls (12) with acircumferential outwardly projecting bottom rim (13), a cover part (2)with a top wall (21) and a circumferential downwardly extending sidewall (22) which is substantially higher than the side wall (12) of thebottom part (1), the downwardly extending side wall (22) of the coverpart (2) being provided at its lower end with an outwardly projectingupper rim (23) for disposition on top of the bottom rim (13), the bottomrim (13) and the upper rim (23) having cooperating elements (14, 24) forform-fitting engagement of the two rims (13, 23), and a seal ring (3)extending around the outwardly projecting rims (13, 23) for sealinglyjoining the rims (13, 23) and, together therewith, the bottom part (1)and the cover part (2).
 2. The packaging according to claim 1, whereinthe rims (13, 23) of the bottom part (1) and the cover part (2) are inthe form of horizontal flanges disposed adjacent each other.
 3. Thepackaging according to claim 1, wherein the cooperating element (14, 24)for form fitting engagement of the two rims (13, 23) are a bead (14)disposed on one (13) and a web (24) formed on the other (23) of theoutwardly projecting rims (13, 23).
 4. The packaging according to claim3, wherein the bead (14) and the web (24) have cooperating inclinedsurfaces which are disposed in tight engagement with each other when thecover part (2) is placed onto the bottom part (1).
 5. The packingaccording to claim 1, wherein the side walls (22) of the cover part (2)are spaced further apart than the side walls (12) of the bottom part(1).